Section: US & Canada
For Russia’s President, A Year Of Costly Triumphs
Vladimir Putin’s popularity soared after the Winter Olympics and the annexation of Crimea. But his year is ending on a bitter note, with Russia in a deep recession and isolated internationally.» E-Mail This …read more Source:...
Ukraine and Pro-Russia Rebels Swap Hundreds of Prisoners
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian authorities and separatists exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Friday, a spokesman for President Petro Poroshenko said, part of a 12-point plan aimed at ending the pro-Russian uprising in the east of the country. The agreement to swap 150 Ukrainian servicemen for 222 rebels followed peace talks between...
Ukraine, pro-Russia rebels swap war prisoners
Ukraine handed over 222 prisoners and the rebels released 145 people, according to Russia’s state RIA Novosti news agency — the biggest one-time prisoners swap since the pro-Russian insurgency flared up in eastern Ukraine in April. The Interfax news agency reported that 146 Ukrainian prisoners were released Friday and another four will be...
Dollar mortgage holders urge Russia to end ‘financial slavery’
Moscow (AFP) – When Olga Savelyeva took out a $226,000 mortgage to buy a small apartment on the outskirts of Moscow in 2008, she could never have imagined that the ruble would lose more than half its value in a few short years.But Savelyeva’s $2,090 monthly instalments have skyrocketed in ruble terms due to the Russian...
Ukraine and Pro-Russia Rebels Exchange Hundreds of Prisoners
The Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists began an exchange of hundreds of prisoners on Friday as scheduled peace talks were canceled for the day and Kiev suspended train and bus service to Russia-annexed Crimea, leaving an already tenuous situation in greater uncertainty. As part of a 12-point peace plan, Ukrainian officials handed...
Femen activist who grabbed Nativity Jesus at Vatican still jailed
Vatican City (AFP) – The bare-breasted activist from feminist group Femen who snatched the baby Jesus figurine from the St Peter’s Square Nativity scene on Christmas Day remained under arrest in the Vatican on Friday.The woman, Iana Aleksandrovna Azhdanova from Ukraine, remained under arrest in a Vatican cell awaiting possible trial...
Ukraine, separatists exchange prisoners after latest talks break down
The Ukrainian government and pro-Russia separatists began an “all-for-all” exchange of prisoners late Friday, Russian news agencies reported after delays apparently caused by a dispute over where to swap the captives. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Russia’s Economy Headed For Even More Trouble
By Darya Korsunskaya and Vladimir Abramov MOSCOW, Dec 26 (Reuters) – Slumping oil prices have put Russia’s economy on course for a sharp recession and double-digit inflation next year, government ministers said on Friday, as authorities scaled up a bailout for the first bank to succumb to this month’s rouble crisis. The economy...
Hundreds of Prisoners Freed in Ukraine, but Discontent Remains
A prisoner exchange was negotiated between Ukrainian officials and pro-Russian separatists before peace talks ultimately broke down. …read more Source: U.S....
NATO Is Russia’s Top Threat In Military Doctrine Released Amid Tensions With West Over Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an updated military doctrine Friday that listed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the top military threat and, for the first time, presented the possibility of using conventional precision weapons “as part of strategic deterrent measures.” The doctrine released by the Kremlin describes NATO’s...
